NEW GENERATION PRECISION

The Danobat group is a European market leader in the manufacture of precision-made machine tools.
The groups business sectors range from automotive, energy and aeronautics, to the railway and oil
industries. Philip Yorke talks to Antxon Lpez Usoz, director of innovation and product development at
the Danobat group, about the companys new generation of machines and its plans for further
global expansion.
A group in growth
The Danobat Group, founded in Spain in
1954, consists of a number of associated
companies each representing a different
aspect of the machine tooling business.
Danobat is an acknowledged Ieader in
grinding machines, lathes and saws.
while Danobat Sistemas is known for special and transfer machines. Then there is
Estarta and its centreless grinding machines,
Goiti for punching and folding machines,
the Lealde lathes and Soraluce with its
milling machines and milling centres.
In 1986 Danobat group created a centre
of excellence for technological innovation
called Ideko, which specialised in developing new technology relating to
machine tools.
The Danobat group owns two companies
in Germany, Bimatec-Soraluce leader in
milling machines and Overbeck specialised
in high-precision grinding solutions. Also,
Danobat is the owner of the long-established British engineering company Newall
In 2004, Danobat created a new production facility called Goimek, dedicated
to the advancement of high- precision
machining, and this was followed a year
later by the creation of Dano-Rail a
company that specialises in railway
maintenance.
Today the Danobat group has a
turnover of more than 160 million and
employs over 1040 people.

Markets and sectors

As Antxon Lpez Usoz explains, increasingly its losing importance the concept of
a machine for general use. Nowadays
each machine tool must be designed to
give solution to a few ranges of pieces.
The Danobat group's products are aimed
at industrial concrete sectors. Capital goods
38 Industry Europe

and mechanical industries in general

account for some 32 per cent of total
turnover, 25 per cent from the automotive
industry, 20 per cent from the aeronautics
and energy sectors, and 13 per cent
relates to the railway industry.
Aerospace customers include Air France,
Boeing, Delta Airlines, Pratt and Whitney,
Japan Airlines, Rolls Royce and General
Electric. The automotive customer list is
no less impressive, taking in, as it does,
the likes of PSA Group (Peugeot-Citroen),
Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Opel,
Renault, Rover, Suzuki and Volvo. The
story is the same across each sector that
Danobat serves, supplying well-known
names like Lucchini, Alstom, Bombardier,
Siemens, ABB, in the railways sector, or
Cooper Cameron, Voith, Tenaris Group, etc.
Of course, the Danobat group works
for customers worldwide. In fact, over
the last ten years about 80 per cent of
its output has been for export. We sell
to all the industrialised countries in the
world, says Antxon Lpez Usoz. We
have our own commercial delegations
in all the countries in Europe, in China,
Japan, Brazil, Mexico, USA, Russia and
India. The company is hoping for orders in
the oil sector from Russia and in the railways sector from India.
Furthermore, our exports are increasing
year on year. Europe is still our largest single
market representing around 45 per cent
of our total sales volume. However, we
see Asia, Russia and North America as
the markets with the greatest potential
for our future.

Customer driven
Essentially we are involved in two kinds
of businesses here: the production of
standard machines and the development

of customised machines that provide

turnkey solution. This custom-made
solutions business sector is our fastest
growing market.
Danobat's business is almost totally
customer driven, Antxon Lpez Usoz says.
"Most of our machines are developed in
conjunction with our customers. Our own
product portfolio covers various aspects
of machine tooling grinding, milling etc
so we can offer a wide range of complete
solutions. It is important to establish the
real need in each case what the customer is trying to achieve , then our engineers are ready to develop the best solution
in terms of technology, price, time and, of
course, quality. So close communication and
cooperation between us is vitally important.

Whats new?
Much of our new R&D is devoted to
increasing the reliability and accuracy of
our products and trying to achieve greater
efficiency in the machining processes of our
customers. So, last year Danobat launched
advanced new products:
Ultra precision cylindrical grinding
machines with flexible concept for external
and non-round grinding applications, with
linear technology
Vertical stator case grinders for precision
grinding and measuring of the jet engine
Vertical turning centre for machining
parts in the aeronautics industry, rail
industry and the oil and valve industries
3D plasma cutting system based on
its Dantech research programme to
increase demands from the structural
steel industry
Milling centres fitted with rotating tables
attached to the machines longitudinal shaft
Modular design series of floor-type
milling machines

Centerless grinding machine with mobile

workcenter and twin grip grinding spindle

Ultra precision cylindrical grinding machines

with flexible concept for external and non-round
grinding applications, with linear technology

The main technologies involved in

these products are: hydrostatic guideways, thermal stabilisation of the
machines parts, vibration reduction
using intelligent control techniques,
digital drives in both linear and rotary
axes, built-in motors for the workhead
and wheelhead spindles, as well as high
torque motors and linear motor options,
natural granite bed, etc.

processes in collaboration with Danobats

key customers.
As the race to reduce machining environmental impact increases; in terms of
energy consumption, space occupation,
pollution etc, the machine tool industry
will have to adapt to a new set of demands
and requests. We have to see this as a
new opportunity as well as a new challenge, Antxon Lpez Usoz says.

Vertical stator case grinders for precision

grinding and measuring of the jet engine

Strategic objectives
Antxon Lpez Usoz continues. To
firmly establish the group among the
worlds top machine tool sector leaders
we have to find our own special niche
in each sector. Our products must be
adapted to the industrial sectors that
we have prioritised. Our aim is to be the
best in each market sector.
The objective to provide the market with
machinery and hi-tech integral solutions,
is being realised thanks to the technical
research and development programmes in
order to meet our clients constantly
evolving technological requirements. The
Danobat R&D centre Ideko has launched
Hi-Mach, high performance research
facilities to investigate new machining
Antxon Lpez Usoz, director of innovation and product development

Industry Europe 41